Dark Garden
by Writer is Ninja
Summary: They could only love her so long as they didn’t know her real name. Rabastan and Rodolphus can never know her true face… but someday the dream will end. AU. Fem!Harry. Up for Adoption.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer:

A/N: Orchid: "Love; beauty; refinement; beautiful lady; Chinese symbol for many children, mature charm". Fem!Harry.

Summary: They could only love her so long as they didn't know her real name. Rabastan and Rodolphus can never know her true face… but someday the dream will end. AU. Fem!Harry.

_Dark Garden_

***

**Chapter One:**

**Explaining Orchid**

She was highly regarded among the Light, and why wouldn't she be? She was a Potter, a Hufflepuff, talked to all the right people, and even had muggleborn friends. Hell, she was betrothed to Barty Crouch Jr., son of the Minister of Magic. There was no reason to doubt her loyalties. Even Fawkes, the Headmaster's phoenix, liked her. Of course, her muggleborn friends were the best and most powerful of their age; she had a reputation to upkeep. Hermione Granger, for instance, was a brilliant muggleborn much like her own mother, and had started following their customs once it was explained as an important part of the culture. Later Ginny Weasley had joined them. Weasleys were, of course, only ever light. Besides that, Orchid was a Traditionalist.

Her mother, Lily, had had to learn all their traditions from her father, and ensured that she grew up knowing the customs because of the difficulty she'd had. Dumbledore had rid Hogwarts of classes on Wizarding Society long ago; the year before her parents started attending, she believed. It was the reason so many had been drawn to Voldemort's cause, in fact, an outrage to the Old Families at the time. Under Dumbledore's teaching few knew the goals of Lord Voldemort, thinking it all about muggles and muggleborns; it was a lot more political than that. Of course the conventionally Light Families had fallen in with Dumbledore's side regardless of their own beliefs – well, most of them, her father included.

Her grandmother, Dorea Potter nee Black, had been extremely vocal against this change but had died soon after. Her grandfather, Jonathon, had quit the Auror Corps soon after, and managed to make it until Orchid was seven years old. From the sound of it she would have liked her grandmother. She was a renowned Traditionalist, up there with the Longbottoms under Augusta's reign. People often commented on their likeness in belief, actually. Orchid was glad to share that with her grandmother.

She wasn't just well-known for being Light, though. No, that wasn't the reason for her fame at all, although it did help. Not only was she the Potter Heiress – the _first _Heiress in the history of the Potter Family – but she was also an international model and the height of fashion. She was one of few wizarding celebrities, up there with Victor Krum, Aiden Lynch and Gabrielle Delacour, all of whom she was familiar with. It didn't hurt that she'd learned to speak all their languages (and Aiden spoke Gaelic along with English). She was known for beauty, intelligence and demure charm.

Her parents didn't really pay much attention to her. Her father was an Auror and her mother (despite supposedly being a housewife) an Unspeakable, the fighting elite, not to mention raising her other three siblings. Controlling the business end of things (stocks and the like) was mostly left up to Orchid, who was busy in her own right, and she spent a lot of time on the kids. Still, _she_ wasn't yet a warrior during wartime. Her parents had responsibilities to the war and the Order. She _was_, however, double apprenticing under Poppy Pomphrey and Filius Flitwick to become an Auror Field-Medic. Kingsley planned to sponsor her into the program – which was much more lax these days, sadly, Aurors being more needed – and had taught her a lot of what she'd need to know.

"Hello luv," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

"Barty." She leaned easily back into his embrace. "What brings you by?"

Barty was handsome and a rather good friend, but that was all there was between them. After his engagement to Lorena Fawcett had fallen through she was there for him, and she had agreed to marry him if Barty didn't find someone else by the time that she turned seventeen. James was rather easy to convince to marry her off in the old tradition; _she_ had handpicked the husband, after all, and he may have been generally oblivious to her doings and life in general, but he _did_ know what tradition meant to her. And it looked good in the papers, particularly since they had long been friends. She had met him as a child at a Ministry function and hit it off almost immediately, the Potter Heiress and the Minister's son making the news without delay. The age difference didn't matter to wizards. Besides, they had together brought Charlotte McKinnon to their side; that had only enhanced their image.

As long as he was discrete, an affair wouldn't bother her; they were more friends than lovers, after all; so long as there was no bastard child to cover up and it didn't make the papers she was fine with whatever he did, in fact. It would reflect badly on her, that she supposedly couldn't pleasure her husband, and bastard children were (no matter the class, but particularly among the upper-class) a media disaster and a disgrace waiting to happen. There were Contraceptive Charms for a _reason_. The British Wizarding World was much behind the Muggle World in their views on marriage and other things of the sort. Divorce was only applicable in the event of rape, abuse, infidelity or infertility. The parents of children born out of wedlock were both ostracized, except in the case of rape, although the child itself was accepted in most cases (manner of birth not being the child's fault). Those who weren't Scarlet Women didn't wear skirts above the knees, and unless you were an Auror or Quidditch player, or involved in some other sport, women wore skirts or dresses or robes under their outer robes.

Orchid had drawn the attention of photographers first by being the first Heiress in the Potter line, particularly since she wasn't made Heir Regent once her first brother was born, but had kept their attention for other reasons. There was rarely a week when she wasn't in the Society Pages in her youth, and that hadn't changed as she aged. She used the old styles and brought them back. Not the overly lacy disasters of before, of course, but true Elizabethan dresses and the like. Under her direction, elegant gowns of Greek and 1850s fashion graced the papers, crinolines, bonnets and all.

It didn't hurt that she was the Black Heiress as well, Sirius being an infamous playboy. Walburga had died when she was about five or six, but she had seen Orchid as an acceptable Head of the Family in case of Regulus' death, Sirius informally disowned and she being his goddaughter. The Blacks, unlike the Potters, had had Heiresses before, Walburga being just one example. That put her in the good books of the Dark Families as well. Lily Potter had insured that her daughter had friends on both sides growing up, her power making her be seen as an exception to the general anti-muggleborn view. Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass had been her closest companions growing up, along with the older Istria Nott.

"Thought I'd help you out around the house," Barty replied. "Maybe take you out when the kids get up to do their schoolwork."

Her siblings, their mother not having time to home school them like most wizards were, went to muggle school, learning much more than the basics maths and writing that most mothers taught, a house elf tutoring them in the summers. Likewise she had been schooled in muggle subjects, and would be able to attend any muggle Uni she wanted, if she so desired. Not that she would; Orchid was already an EMT-Paramedic, and that was all the muggle education she needed.

Samuel was thirteen to her sixteen, and James Jr. (better known as Jim or Jimmy) turned eleven this year and had just gotten his Hogwarts letter, but Oleander was nine and not yet ready for magical schooling, though Orchid had taught her a bit on the Healing and Potions end in preparation for Hogwarts.

"That would be nice," Orchid smiled, flipping the pancakes. She was a very good cook by force, of her parents only James knowing how to cook at all and it being a traditionally female skill in the Wizarding World. Besides, her papa was rarely home to do more than sleep, and he really appreciated it when she cooked. "I could use a day off."

"I know. Same courses as last year?"

"Yeah."

It was a busy schedule, but she could handle it. Muggle education, Hogwarts, apprenticeship to Poppy and Filius and later Paramedic certification with modeling and showings at Balls and other High Society events, family _and _business responsibilities was a bit much, but she'd been able to cut down on it this year and things weren't so hectic.

She was finished with her muggle education and Paramedic training and rushed her apprenticeships. That meant that she only needed to attend gatherings, do a photo shoot here and there, handle the Potter businesses, stocks and her siblings, and James did most of the work in business as Potter Family Head. So it was down to family, Hogwarts, photo shoots and social gatherings now, and she was far ahead of the Defense, Charms and Healing classes under Filius and Poppy.

For Hogwarts, Healing, Defense, Arithmancy, Runes, Household Magics, Rituals, and Divination (earning her a Time Turner like Hermione had once had, making it all much easier) were pretty much taken care of, and Charms was in the bag. She struggled in Transfiguration, definitely, and Herbology, not having the touch for it, but was average in the classes, and Potions were covered with Healing.

She had dropped Astronomy after her OWLs, not seeing the need since she was taking nine classes and they had covered what she'd need to know. Orchid wasn't perfect, far from it, but she _was_ a perfectionist. Her singing voice left much to be desired and she sucked at History, which was why she'd dropped that class. Regulus handled the Black end, thankfully, or even _with_ the Time Turner she'd be screwed.

Her schedule, which had been mailed with her Hogwarts letter, went something along the lines of this:

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Arithmancy – Divination

Transfiguration

Ancient Runes

Charms – Healing

Rituals

Household Magic

She was definitely dreading her NEWTs. Summer homework was a bitch; she didn't even want to imagine what _that_ would be like.

Normally students only took seven classes, two being electives. Orchid, however, had decided to take as many electives as she felt were useful, and it being wartime there were a lot more to choose from than usual. Dumbledore and McGonagall had expected her to eventually drop a few, but keeping the Time Turner was too much a temptation to pass up. She h thought that they'd probably forgotten that she had one, so busy with the war effort and the Order, which would only help her. She planned to keep it if possible; that or steal one from the Department of Mysteries when she visited her mother for one of their rare lunch dates.

Breakfast for them and the kids was soon over, thankfully, and she trusted their one house elf to keep them in line, so she said her goodbyes and left with Barty. To her surprise, he took them out to Muggle Manchester.

"Though we'd see a flick," he explained.

Orchid smiled.

Barty was her best friend for a reason. They could nearly read each others' minds, and he always knew exactly what she needed.

***


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

A/N: Orchid: "Love; beauty; refinement; beautiful lady; Chinese symbol for many children, mature charm". Fem!Harry.

Summary: They could only love her so long as they didn't know her real name. Rabastan and Rodolphus can never know her true face… but someday the dream will end. AU.

_Dark Garden_

***

**Chapter Two:**

**Up For Adoption**

Orchid didn't like being famous, despite what one might think. She had started off just making or altering clothes for her _friends_, and she'd ended up in the papers because of her interesting style. She had to keep at it now, though. It kept morale up, distracting people from the war and certain military actions, and – and this was far more important to her _personally_ – drew the attention of her parents on occasion.

She had friends, plenty of them – some even real. She had perfect knowledge of tradition and manners. She could play the socialite, the model, the businesswoman, even the student. All the world was her stage and she could play any part.

But she couldn't have her parents.

She didn't want to be the grownup all the time. She didn't want to be raising her siblings with only a house elf for company. Lily was a good _friend_, and James played the part of her Papa well when he was _there_, but mostly she was alone. That was why she had as many friends as possible; to take her mind off things. Oh there was political advantage to be sure, but mostly it was loneliness that drove her to do as many things as possible. It would have been nice if Lily had noticed her two week trip to Vienna for a photo shoot, and to talk to James about something besides business (at least _he_ had noticed her trip and had the decency to comment on it). She just wanted to be noticed for who she _was_ and not for what she _did_. Apparently that was too much to ask for on the parent front, though, but at least she had friends who did. Her parents had raised her when she was little, true, but as she grew older they grew more distant.

At least _Barty_ understood the war taking your family away from you in the non-death sense. His father had always been a sort of distant dictator.

_Remus_ was a parent-like figure. But _Remus_ wasn't always there either, and he wasn't really her father. Sirius was just as childlike as her siblings at times, so he was no help at all. Frank and Alice Longbottom tried to fill in where they could, but it just wasn't the same and she hated to impose on them – they were busy too.

The kids, her siblings, called her Mama. That wasn't any fairer on them than it was on her. Still, she was used to it. It wasn't fair, but Orchid had long learned that life wasn't fair; that's just the way things were. She loved her parents, but that didn't mean she couldn't resent the Hell out of them; she did.

Sometimes, she didn't want to be the grownup.

So, thank the Gods for Regulus; without him she wouldn't have made it. He was a great help with the kids, saw to the Black end of the business things, and generally acted the part of the older brother or uncle. And he was technically family, Sirius being her godfather, so it soothed the ache a bit. _He_ was concerned with more than the war and the roof over her head. He wanted to make sure she was okay _mentally_, too.

*

Someone highly placed was leaking information, and it wasn't Severus Snape; that was pretty much the extent of the Order's knowledge.

_Snow Queen Dazzles with Fashion Sense_

Annette Dubois

Snow Queen Orchid Potter has dazzled us yet again with her impeccable fashion sense. The now seventeen-year-old model has always been the epitome of what High Society and breeding should be, but today she wowed us once again. Recently become an Auror in Potter tradition, and straight out of Hogwarts at that, we thought we'd seen the last of her fashion days. Orchid has yet again proven us wrong.

"Not only has she made them more fashionable, but she's made them more comfortable too," says Auror Margaret Hayden, 23. "They're much easier to move in." We are, of course, talking about the female Auror robes. Once only to distinguish the Aurors from civilians, Orchid has now improved them beyond what was thought possible. The Potter Heiress had this to say:

"Field Medics, rare as we are, need to be able to get to our patients quickly or risk their deaths before we can get to them. The robes were hindering my movement, so I improved them." The slits up the sides and lack of sleeves allow for more maneuverability, and use of dragonhide armguards permit for lightweight armor protection. Plus, added cleavage distracts male opponents, according to many female Aurors.

When asked if she would continue to model, Potter said that that was never in question. "Oh sure, Orchid will have to cancel some photo shoots in favor of battles and raids, but that's understandable," said publicist Marcie Ross, 41. "We'll manage to work around it, and anyone who doesn't understand will just have to deal."

Orchid Potter is well-known for not only buying high quality clothing but also for making or altering her clothes to maximum effect. She has made several pieces for her friends and siblings, and her faultless sense of style has had them reaping the benefits.

"Orchid was the reason I started modeling," Gabrielle Delacour, 12, admitted. "She was really great about bringing me into the business, teaching me the ins and outs. She even taught me how to negotiate a contract in my favor. Mama and Papa were concerned that my goals would never reach fruition, but with Orchid Potter behind you, you really can't lose. I'm not surprised that this new venture, improving Auror robes, succeeded."

Bartemius Crouch Jr., the betrothed of Ms. Potter, was unavailable for comment at the time of this article. For more information, please contact Annette Dubois at Daily Prophet Offices either by Floo or owl post.

"Not bad," Barty commented, putting down the paper.

"Annie does good work," Orchid agreed. "Oh, we have another Ministerial Ball, by the way. I'm technically working security, but only unobtrusively."

"The eighteenth?"

She nodded her agreement, sipping her coffee. Barty didn't know how she could stand the stuff, preferring tea himself, but apparently it was standard Auror fare. It was all that kept them up some nights, when they were on guard duty or stakeouts.

"That's going to be attacked. I'll tell the Dark Lord we'll be there."

"I'll subtlety trip them up, then."


End file.
